General Attorney (Tax) - Senior Technician Reviewer

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves.

Duties

The Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Institutions and Products) has jurisdiction over the taxation of financial institutions, and financial products, as well as tax issues related to tax-advantaged bonds. The Office provides legal advice and litigation services/support to the Department of the Treasury, the IRS, other Chief Counsel organizations, other government agencies, and the public.

As a Senior Technician Reviewer (STR), the incumbent serves as a technical expert with respect to the subject areas and functions of the assigned Branch. Subject areas for which FIP is responsible involve the specialty areas of tax law as it pertains to financial institutions and products, including banks, thrift institutions, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, insurance companies, asset securitization arrangements, debt modifications, options, futures contracts, original issue discount obligations, hedging arrangements, annuities, life insurance contracts, other types of innovative financial instruments and entities, and tax-advantaged bonds.

As a General Attorney (Tax) Senior Technician Reviewer, you will:

• Act as a legal and technical consultant to the Branch Chief, Deputy Associate Chief Counsel, Associate Chief Counsel, and, as assigned, to other officials in the Office of Chief Counsel on some of the most difficult, important, and complex professional legal and policy matters concerned with the work of the Branch, or which may affect the work of other Branches of the office, or other components of the Chief Counsel's Office.
• Act as a reviewer, and in some cases as the initiating attorney, for some of the most complicated, difficult, and unusual assignments and projects involving the development and drafting of Internal Revenue legislation and regulations, considering recommendations for enactment of legislation and the promulgation of regulations, private letter rulings, revenue rulings, technical advice memoranda, Chief Counsel advice, and other advice memoranda dealing with tax problems submitted by taxpayers and their representatives, state and federal agencies, and other Chief Counsel and IRS offices.
• Act as principal attorney in charge of recommending the policies and developing the procedures and regulations implementing new or amended legislation for specific areas of tax law and be responsible for ensuring that these policies, procedures, and regulations are consistent with the intent of the law and are administratively sound, efficient, and economical in operation.
• Support the work of IRS and Chief Counsel components in all aspects of their work, to include litigation activities, technical advice and guidance, the preparation of briefs and appellate recommendations.
• As needed, conduct conferences and represents the IRS on specific issues of a highly complex nature with taxpayers and their representatives.
• As appropriate, represent the Office on training sessions, presentations and panel discussions before IRS and Counsel components, other governmental agencies and business and professional groups on technical and legal matters relating to the work of the Branch.
• In consultation with the Branch Chief, assign work to the attorneys and specialists within the Branch and advises on approaches to be taken. As required, and in cases in which the Branch Chief is absent, substitute for the Branch Chief and performs the full range of duties of that position.
• Perform other professional duties as assigned.

This is not an all-inclusive list.

Salary

• $163,964 - $191,900/year

Conditions of Employment

• Refer to "Additional Information"
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements detailed below by the closing date of this announcement. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

To qualify for this position of General Attorney (Tax) Senior Technician Reviewer you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax) Senior Technician Reviewer:

• Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
• Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

GS-15 Experience Requirements:

• 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
• 3 year(s) of professional legal tax experience

Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as: Tax issues concerning financial institutions, which may include banks, thrift institutions, real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies, real estate mortgage investment conduits, dealers, traders in securities, insurance companies, financial service companies, or other institutions; the taxation of financial products or transactions, including debt instruments (e.g., original issue discount, AHYDO, bond premium, bond strips, and market discount), options, forwards, futures, notional principal contracts, original issue discount obligations, asset securitization arrangements, hedging arrangements, virtual currency, annuities, life insurance contracts, or other financial transactions; tax issues related to accounting methods including changes in accounting methods; the taxation of gain or loss on disposition of property (including wash sales and straddles); tax issues related to tax-advantaged bonds, complex legal tax questions requiring extensive research and legal analysis; significant tax legal writing experience that would be applicable for analyzing and responding to requests for private letter rulings, technical advice, and Chief Counsel advice on complex issues; or litigation experience relating to tax-law cases.

At least one year of this experience must be equivalent to the work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-14).

Note: Only experience gained after Bar Admission may be credited as Professional Legal Experience.

Education Substitution: An LL.M. degree in the field of the position may be substituted for the one year of the general legal experience listed above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-15: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-14).

Education For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Other Information

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for telework.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

Conditions of Employment Continued:

• Subject to a 1-year trial period (unless already completed).
• Subject to a 1-year supervisory or managerial probationary period (unless already completed).
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
• Undergo an income tax verification.
• The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns.
• This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.
  
  There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:
• Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
• FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
• SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)"

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.

In addition, applicants are required to submit:

1. An unofficial or official transcript(s) for your J.D. degree or LL.M. degree (an official transcript is required if you are selected)
2. An 8-10 page legal writing sample
3. A copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 12 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application
4. A memorandum of interest summarizing your interest in the position
5. A Supervisory Report for Supervisory or Management Positions (ERB Form 1-88, Rev 7/2020) regarding your suitability for the position as completed by your current supervisor. You are responsible for notifying your supervisor that this report must be received no later than five workdays after the closing date of this announcement.

Employment Documentation: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade.

Education Documentation: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. See "Education" for more details.

Certificate of Good Standing: A certified original copy of your certificate of good standing from your State Bar will be required if you are selected.

How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 12/09/2024 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 7:30AM to 4:00PM.ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12612985

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability or medical condition during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Kimberly Johnson, Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator, HR Labor & Employee Relations Division, by phone at 469-801-1728 or by email at Kimberly.F.Johnson@irscounsel.treas.gov. The IRS - Office of Chief Counsel provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
• It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
• Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.